Comments on: Amazing Library Book Inscription to Former Librarian

By: Brian Herzog

Brian Herzog — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:37:26 +0000

@Elaine: Of course – that’d be great. I’d appreciate links back, but really I’m just happy to spread this story.

By: Elaine Anderson

Elaine Anderson — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:51:56 +0000

Dear Brian,

I would love to be able to include this whole post on our blog. With your permission and with proper recognitions, may I do that?

You have some great reading on here. I just found your blog through the library calculator. What a brilliant use of the calculator to apply it to the whole community.

Elaine

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:25:22 +0000

What a great story!

By: You Can't Read That! | Paul's Thing

You Can't Read That! | Paul's Thing — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:05:13 +0000

[...] Sometime in the late 1950s or early 1960s, a policeman entered the Chelmsford Massachusetts public library and demanded the librarian hand over all books by Jack Kerouac on the grounds that they were “unfit.” Read the rest. [...]

By: Jessamyn West

Jessamyn West — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 05:24:31 +0000

Chelsea Vermont! Thanks for sharing that story.

By: David Hoffman

David Hoffman — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:52:28 +0000

I think this is a great story. It’s easy sometimes to look at history and vilify others such as WWII Germany or North Korea for their blatant censorship and arbitrary condemnation of writers, books, and the arts in general when our own nation also perpetrated similar acts.

Sadly, post-war America in the 1950s wasn’t really like Mayberry and Leave It to Beaver for a large segment of our creative population. It was a time of political black-listing, witch hunts, and fear-mongering after the advent of the Red Scare – in my opinion, something of a low point for our society.

It is stories like this that really bring home the library’s responsibility to our First Amendment rights and the difficult situations that can arise from that responsibility.

While personally not a particular fan of Jack Kerouac’s work, I firmly believe that as an institution libraries have the duty and obligation to make *ALL* works available to the population. This is how knowledge is transferred and how evolution takes place. Freedom to speak your mind and to have the ability to see all viewpoints of issues and events is something that our nation was founded upon – and is also a notion that occasionally gets lost among the various knee-jerk political reactionaries of our times.

Bravo for bringing this little-know bit of history to light!

By: Karen

Karen — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 02:52:33 +0000

Thanks for sharing a story that highlights the bravery librarians need to stand up for America’s need to acess information and read freely. We need the public to support us when we do that.

By: greg hardin

greg hardin — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:02:31 +0000

I love Kerouac, librarians, and now Edith Pickles. Thanks for sharing this great anecdote and such nice gesture from Donny.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:40:59 +0000

This is fantastic. What a neat way to honor Edith.